I spent the next day practicing and practicing in my apartment with Heather. Luckily, I never achieved the same feat as I had with Bill and Master the night before. But truth be told I didn't achieve anything at all. I was really getting discouraged. There had to be another way to get the feeling back—or maybe it wasn't anger that set me off. It was already in me, wasn't it? After all, I was a Bintaur. It was our nature, whatever that meant.

After I ate lunch, Heather went back to sleep on the couch, and I figured the worst I could do to her was throw her against the back cushion. If I could tickle a human, I couldn't do too much to a feline. So, I stood on the other side of the living room, closed my eyes and concentrated really hard. Nothing. Some way, any way I tried to pull it out of me. I couldn't do it. I hated to have to tell Eric I'd been unsuccessful, but I did want to surprise him, so I'd just have to be patient.

By then I had to get ready for work, so I changed and headed to work. I'd been working for a couple of hours, finishing certain things that had to be done for our trip to Virginia the following Sunday. Eric popped in when he first arrived to say hello and asked for the month's accrued balance on some accounts. So I got to work on that. When I was finished, I placed the balance sheets on His desk so He could look at it when He was ready to. Going out to the club to let Him know, I stood by His chair and waited because at the moment, there were a few pathetic humans at His feet.

"Connee? What can I do for you?" He finally asked then waved His hand to dismiss them.

"I just wanted to let you know that I've put the General Ledger sheets on your desk."

He smiled so sweetly at me. "You're terrific. Thanks, sweetheart." He said the last part quietly so only I could hear Him. I turned to leave when He added, "What are you doing after work?"

I grinned sheepishly then replied, "Whatever you tell me, Master."

"How's your ass," He smirked, "other than it being perfect."

I blushed. "There's only one position I can't sit now, so it's better."

"Meet me downstairs at 2:15," He said, then quite serious.

"Yes Sir."

I got very little done for the rest of the night because I was all giddy, as well as hot as hell. But the most disturbing thing happened when I went downstairs: He wasn't there. I went upstairs to ask Pam. "I have no idea where he is. I'm not supposed to watch him 24-7," she replied, clearly irritated.

"Pam, I just ... never mind."

I went back to my office and grabbed my purse, wondering what was going on. I turned the light off, locked the door behind me and turned ... almost running into Pam. She had changed into jeans and a button-down top. "I'll be escorting you home." There was no pleasure in her voice.

"Why?" I asked, curious as hell.

"Because your Master told me to," she said, curtly and nastily.

"Anyone but you," I snapped and walked away. I still hadn't gotten over what she had done to me ... to Eric, really.

She didn't say anything but followed me out the door. I knew she was behind me, and I purposefully didn't hold it open for her. She may have thought she was coming with me, but she wouldn't be driving home with me. I got into the car and started the engine, and when she knew I wasn't going to open the door to let her in, she stood in front of the car, smirking smugly. Did she think I wasn't going to run her over? Even if I did I knew she wouldn't be hurt. I glared at her, narrowing my eyes.

"Pam, MOVE!" I shouted angrily, my hands tight on the top of the steering wheel. She put her hands on her hips and stood defiantly. "PAM! I swear I'll run over your ass!" She smiled wickedly. I stormed out of the car and stood face to face with her—well, face to chest, considering she was so much taller than me. "I am tired and I wanna go home! Why the hell does Eric think I need an escort?"

"I can't tell you that."

"And why not?"

"Go home. I will be watching from outside. Someone will be there during the day, so don't get paranoid if you feel you are being watched, because you will be."

Then I was really getting anxious, considering Eric had disappeared suddenly. "Pam, what's going on? Is Eric alright?"

"He's fine. Look, um, Connee, I do want to apologize for what I did to you." Then she had more sincerity in her voice. "Honestly, I didn't like you at first. Oh, I thought you were attractive and all that, but what ... threw me off, I guess you could say, was how quickly Eric took to you. I am very loyal to my Maker, and I had to make sure your heart was in the right place."

I had nothing to say. But by that time, I was too exhausted to even talk with her anymore. I got in my car and drove home, trying not to worry too much, or think of Pam's admission. Who was I kidding? I tossed and turned so much poor Heather jumped down in a huff and went off to sleep somewhere else. Maybe I'd have some answers the next night.

Eric's POV, right after Connee gave Him the reports ...

Connee looked beautiful as I watched her walk away. I couldn't help but smile every time I saw her. And after last night ... remembering her screaming my name as she came. God, she gets me every time.

My cell phone rang and disrupted my thoughts. I was perturbed to see Bill's cell phone number on it. "What?" I answered curtly.

"Eric, what is Daniel's last name, Connee's ex-boyfriend?" Bill asked. I could tell he was agitated about something.

"How did—"

"Listen to me, Eric," he said impatiently. I wanted to hang up on him. "Connee and Sookie had been talking, and she knew about Daniel and that he ended their relationship. Andy Bellefleur came in tonight and mentioned to Sookie after a couple of drinks there'd been a murder earlier in the afternoon. He said the man's name was Daniel Hanover. Do you have—"

I never did ask Connee his last name. It really didn't matter to me. "Why are you so concerned about this?"

"Because, Sookie thinks she remembers his last name is Hanover, Connee's ex-boyfriend."

"I'll be over in half an hour."

Hanging up, I went directly to Pam. "Pam, I need you."

"Oh, don't you think Connee—"

"I need to go to talk to Bill," I huffed. "Follow Connee home tonight and stay with her! I'll have someone over to replace you at five."

"Eric, babysitting is not in my job description."

"You will do as I say!"

"Fine. Can I at least ..."

I knew what she was referring to. "No! And leave her feline alone!"

Then I ran off into the night to get to Bon Temps to find out what the hell was going on. What I heard greatly disturbed me. Bill told me Daniel was shot in the back of the head, execution style, in his kitchen. There was a note. 'No one can protect Connee Byers now.'

Oh, they were so wrong. I would protect my Connee, even if my life depended on it. There was nothing I could do but meet with Queen Francesca sooner than planned. With Connee working at Fangtasia, I knew she would be watched over at least there. I had someone in mind to watch over her during the day, good old reliable Doug.

As soon as I got back to the club, which was well after three, I called the queen from Connee's office. Her smell was all over her chair, the desk, the air; I could even smell the fragrance of the shampoo she used. Maybe I'd make a quick stop over there before I slept for the day. But I had to make the phone call, first.

"Hello," came the sultry, rosey-sweet voice of the Queen of Virginia.

Queen Francesca had been from North Carolina but moved to Virginia immediately after she was changed at the age of twenty-five. No one really knew of her background. All that was known was that she had overcome her blood lust in only a year or so when she initially changed, which was incredibly rare. She had advanced into the position of royalty rather quickly, due to her dealings with the higher ups in the state. It was completely unheard of; a vampire with those titles was at least three centuries old. At first, not too many vamps trusted her. But the community warmed up to her soon enough. Aside from her beauty, her temperament and courage, it was her fairness that really allowed her to remain in the position for the past twenty years. I knew that she would be a valuable ally, if she chose to be.

"Good evening, Queen. This is Eric Northman. How are you this evening?" God, I just hated niceties.

"I am well, thank you. But I wasn't expecting to hear from you until Sunday night."

"Something has come up that changed our plans. I hadn't planned on discussing the situation until we were face to face."

"Well, that's fine, then. I've been bored out of my mind."

I explained to her about Thomas Milton, and she was very familiar with the name, though his exact whereabouts were uncertain. That did little to comfort me. I told her about Connee Byers, and that Milton wanted her to repopulate the Bintaurs. It was silent on the other end of the phone for several seconds. "Ma'am, are you still there?"

"Yes, yes, my apologizes. How have you come about knowing this Ms. Byers?"

"I met her through a mutual friend. We have been ... business partners for several months now." She didn't need to know about our relationship.

"I see." Again, the damned silence. "And what do you think I can do for Ms. Byers?"

"I ... we ask that you speak with Milton, and to allow no harm to come to her."

"Oh, Sheriff," she laughed. "I don't think I can do that."

"Queen, I am very ... fond of Ms. Byers. I do not wish to ..."

"The Bintaurs have a very strong nest here and in North Carolina. We prefer to let them deal with their own kind. But can you send me a picture of this Ms. Byers?"

That was an odd request, but I had to handle this delicately. "Can you help us?"

"Can you send me a picture of her?" she repeated. "I like to know who I'm dealing with."

That seemed reasonable. I promised her I would email her a picture as soon as we got off the phone. "I have assigned a detail over Ms. Byers for the time being. We're hoping that by you speaking with him, the trip to Virginia will not be necessary."

She was thoughtful for a moment. "Yes. I will do what I can."

I was relieved. "Thank you, Queen. I will forever be in your debt if ... our goal is met."

"I will get back with you."

After we ended the conversation, I emailed her the only picture of her that I had: It was on the date with Bill and Sookie. We'd taken pictures right after we'd sat down in the restaurant. God, that was miserable, but I cherished the picture of the two of us together.

I hoped it would not be the last.

Connee's POV:

When I got up the following morning, Pam was gone, of course, and I saw Doug leaning against a tree in front of the apartment building, drinking a huge mug of coffee and smoking a cigarette. When he saw me in the window, he waved. I waved back, but didn't smile. Maybe Doug knew what was going on. It was just going on eleven a.m. and I didn't know if he'd had breakfast, or lunch, for that matter. I was hungry for waffles. I changed into jeans and a t-shirt, made sure I had the mix and enough syrup for the both of us, which I did, peeked my head out the door and invited him in. He smiled and came right in.

I made small talk, trying to get a feel if he knew anything. All he said was that Eric had given him the night off so that he could watch me today. I put the golden brown waffles on two plates and brought them to the table, joining him.

After he was happily full and I refilled his coffee mug, I knew it was time to get to the nitty-gritty. Now, I'm basically a good person: I pay my taxes, give to charity, buy girl scout cookies, and the like, don't lie because I can never remember what I lie about anyway, and am an honest person. But very few people have seen the manipulative, sneaky side of Connee Byers. Doug was going to be the first to see that side of me in a long time.

I started with the basics: Where he grew up, brothers, sisters and all that crap, then dove right in there with questions surrounding Eric. He'd worked at Fangtasia for over a year, right after he had 'helped Eric out,' and when he was laid off, Eric hired him as a bouncer for the club. I tried to hide a smirk because Doug was far from the beefy men throwing drunken people out the door. Eric continually asked him to do odd jobs here and there, and Eric grew to trust him with more 'personal matters.' That would be me.

"Will Eric be in tonight?"

"He's still ..."

"Eric is still in Shreveport?"

He sighed heavily. "As far as I know."

"Is he planning on going anywhere?" Of course He was, but I wanted to know if Doug knew.

"I overheard him talking to Chow about Pam being in charge Sunday night, but he didn't know how long he'd be gone."

"Does Pam know what He's up to?"

"You'll have to ask her that. Look," he started as he stood up, "The waffles were fantastic, the best. But I've already overstepped my boundaries. Remember, I'll be right outside. Oh, and I may have to use your bathroom once or twice with all this coffee. Do you mind?"

I shook my head and showed him to the door, locking it behind him. I had nothing else to do but practice, so I called Sookie, and she invited me over. I figured we'd go ahead and have our little lasagna girl night.

As I walked to my car, I saw Doug push himself off the tree and stand at attention. "Gotta go to the grocery store then Bon Temps. Hope you have enough gas in your car," I hollered to him as I got in my car. Sure enough, he followed me the entire way. Regardless of the trouble Eric believed I was in, I was comforted a little knowing Doug was close behind me.

When I pulled up to Sookie's house, she'd been waiting for me on the front stoop with a blonde man beside her. "Hi!" she waved as I walked towards them after I grabbed the two bags of groceries. I heard Doug's car pull up behind me a moment later.

"This is Jason, my brother." We shook hands. "He can only stay for a little bit, but he'll do."

"Hey! Give me some credit!" he cried out then chuckled.

We went inside and Sookie put the perishables in the refrigerator. "Hope you don't mind," I told her. "I have a body guard now. Don't pay him any mind."

"Oh, really?" she asked, but she didn't sound all that genuine about it.

"Gotta run to the can ... er, bathroom," Jason said then left.

Something occurred to me. "Sookie," I whispered as I looked out the window to see where Doug was. He was leaning against his car and lit a cigarette. "Did you read anything out of Doug's head? Normally I wouldn't ask, but ..."

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"What do you mean nothing?" I asked startled.

"I don't hear anything from him, and I have tried before."

"What does that mean, do you suppose?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "He's not a vampire, that's obvious. I can read everyone else, except weres are a little harder to read."

"Including me, right?"

"Yes. But, it bothers me somehow."

"So, Doug isn't Bin. But why can't you read him?"

"I don't know. Maybe Bill has an answer. He knows everything," she giggled. "Come on. I'm curious to see what we can do with you."

We spent the next hour or so in the back yard, while Doug hid out around the corner keeping an eye on us. It started off with the tickling that Bill mentioned before, and had progressed to pushing Jason back about fifteen feet. I had sent Eric ten feet, so my distance was improving, as well as my aim.

"Well," Jason started to say as he wiped the back of his jeans of grass and approached us, "I'm all bruised and battered. I'm gonna leave now while I'm still breathing."

"Jason, thank you very much for helping me with this," I said.

"Save me some of that lasagna?" he mentioned with a grin.

Sookie promised she would and we went inside. I made the lasagna, put it in the oven and we went in the living room. "How's Heather doing?" I knew, but felt there was something more she wanted to know.

"Oh, she's fine."

"I gotta tell ya, Connee, I think Eric is more than in like with you."

I felt like we were fifteen and chatting about boys. And yes, He was more than in like with me. "He's kind of ... last night He wanted to meet with me, but when I went to find Him, He wasn't there. Pam didn't know where He was, or so she says, and she escorted me home. And now Doug's trailing me."

Her reaction caught me off guard. She only nodded. Did she know more than I did? Instantly, she squirmed. "You know something, don't you?" I accused, trying to keep my voice neutral.

She smiled nervously. "No, I don't, I swear. Bill has been doing that to me constantly since we met. Don't let that worry you. He's always got something going on that he doesn't share with me."

I wasn't sure if I believed her or not. We ate, and both had such a good time that we mentioned we'd have to do it again. I drove back home, took an hour's nap, changed, making sure to wear my collar, then headed to work. I kept myself busy until I knew Eric would be in around ten o'clock. I was curious why He hadn't come in to say hello like He had the night before.

By eleven, I went out to Him. He was talking on the phone in Swedish so I didn't know what He was saying. I couldn't even spell the language, much less able to look up the meanings. But from the tone of His voice He sounded frustrated. When He glanced at me, He snapped, "Get back to work." And He wasn't playing. He just looked away and continued the conversation.

I walked back to my office like a dog with its tail between its legs. I had to get His attention somehow. I remembered I had the key to His office, and wanted to know if He had looked at the balance sheets I'd given Him the night before. Okay, plan set. I majorly messed up the figures in the accounts to make it painfully obvious that they weren't right, reprinted it, and brought it with me to His office. If anyone asked what I was doing, like Pam, I'd show them the spreadsheet. When I went in, it was exactly where I'd left it. So, I switched the reports, threw the old one away and brought them to Him.

Eric was off the phone but sitting stiffly with His chin set in His fingers, deep in thought. I stood at His feet, my free hand behind my back, my head bowed. It was several minutes before He even snatched the paper from my hand; I grunted as the thin, sharp edge sliced my finger. That couldn't have worked out any better! He couldn't resist my blood. I brought my finger to my mouth and sucked hard, making sure to be noisy about it to get His attention. Nothing.

From the top of my peripheral vision I could see Him looking at the papers. "They're fine. Post them," He barked and shoved the paper back in my hand.

At that point, I'd had enough. Without looking up at Him, I asked, "Master, may I speak freely?"

"No!"

My body tensed by the roughness of His voice. I wasn't having it. My red, chapped, aching ass be damned! "Master, what have I done that has you so angry with me?" I tried to sound strong, but I didn't hear it.

"You are not obeying me!"

I looked up at Him then. And wished I hadn't. Vampires don't grow red in the face; they have no blood coursing through their veins to allow that to happen. But I thought I'd piss my pants when I saw how red His cheeks were.

"Talk to me," I pleaded, my voice quivering then. "Don't shut me out."

"Pam!" He hollered, and she was by His side before I could even blink. "Take her home."

"No!" I protested as I stood up, completely disrespectful to my Master, and put my hands on my hips. "You will not do this to me again!"

He glanced at Pam, His face expressionless, and walked away to His office. I burst into tears.